Shifting-rail for carriages.



No. 738,497. 2 PATENTED SEPT. 8; 1903.

J. P. SMITH. SHIPTING RAIL FOR GAERIAGES:

APPLICATION FILED lTiiIil'flz 1903.

F0 KODEL. 2 BHEBTB SHEET 1.

WITNESSES [VENTOR df M I A Home PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1903.

J. P. SMITH. SHIFTING RAIL FOR GARRIAGBS.

APPLICATION rum: JUDY 8. 1903. l

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

INVENTOR 2 Allorney WITNESSES Qtatcnted september 8, 1963.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES-P. SMITH, OF ST. MARYS, OHIO.

SHIFTING-RAILFOR CARRIAGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 738,497, dated September 8, 1903.

Application filed July 8,190.8.1Se1ia1N0. 164,733. (No modehl ToaZl whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES P. SMITH, a resident of St. Marys, in the county of Auglaize and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carriages; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in carriages, and more particularly to improved mechanism whereby it can be readily and quickly changed from a top buggy or surrey to an open runabout, or vice versa, the object of the invention being to provide improved seat-irons and improved mechanism for securely yet removably fastening either the shifting-rail of a top or fenders thereto.

\Vith this object in view the invention con; sists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view illustrating my improvements with the shifting-rail secured to the seat. Fig. 2 is a top plan view' showing the fenders on the seat in place of the shiftingrail, and Figs. 3, 4t, 5, G, and 7 are views of various details of construction.

1 represents the carriage or vehicle seat, having its side rail 2 supported by stays 3 and preferably provided with a backboard 4,

strengthened by braces 5.

To the seat 1 and seat-rail 2 my improved seat-irons 6 and 7 are secured, and I designate the front irons 6 and the rear irons 7.

The rear irons 7 comprise metal rods or bars secured to the seat proper and extending up beside a stay 3 to the rail 2, where they are made with laterally projecting perforated ears 8 to receive bolts 9 to secure them to the seat-rails and strengthen the latter well.

the irons.

of seat-rail 2 and have perforated cars 15 on opposite sides, secured to the top of the rail by bolts 16, and the end of irons 6 extend ontward beyond the rail and are made with elongated slots 17 for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

'to their extreme outward position and compel their hook-shaped ends to engage under The lugs 21 are made on their inner faces, or, in other words, adjacent to the seat-rail, with notches or grooves 22, and eccentrics or cams 23 are pivoted to the top of irons 6 and are adapted when turned to move into notches or grooves 22 and securely lock the lugs 21 and 18 in the irons 6, as Will be readily understood. To facilitate the op eration of locking-levers 20, they are made with'finger-holds 24 at their outer ends and when secured bythe eccentrics 23 are perfectly rigid, and there is no possibility of the parts working loose or rattling.

The fenders 25 are provided at their rear ends with hook-shaped lugs 13, as above eX- plained, to enter the inclined openings in arms 10, and the inner bars or members of the fenders, near their forward ends, have depending lugs 31, similar in all respects to lugs 18, to enter the slots 17, and levers 29, similar to levers 20, are pivoted to the fender-bars and have in clined or beveled lugs 30, similar to lugs 21, so as to permit the fenders to be secured in position when the shifting-rail is removed, and vice versa.

It is to be understood that the shifting-rail is constructed with suitable attachments for an ordinary top, so that by the interchanging of the shifting-rail for the fenders the vehicle can be made into a top-seat buggy or surrey instead of a runabout. The interchange can be quickly effected without soiling the hands or gloves, as no bolts or nuts are used, and the attachment is a most rigid one, not liable to wear or rattle 0r in any way get out of order.

A great many slight changes might be made in the general form and arrangement of the parts described without departing from my invention, and hence I do not confine myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at liberty to makesuch slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

, v Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a vehicle-seat, 0f slotted arms thereon, a shifting-rail, a lug thereonto enter the slot, a lever pivoted to the rail and having a beveled or inclined lug to enter the slot beside the first-mentioned lug and force the latter into locked engagement with the end wall of the slot, and means for preventing the removal of the last-mentioned lug.

2. The combination with a vehicle-seat, of seat-irons secured thereto, a shifting-rail,

hook-shaped lugs thereon to enter inclined openings in some of said irons, notched lugs on the rail to enter slots in the other irons, and locking-levers and cooperating locking mechanism to secure the notched lugs in the slots in said seat-irons.

3. The combination with a vehicle-seat, of a slotted seat-iron secured thereto, a removable member, a depen ding notched lug thereon to enter the slot, a locking-lever pivoted to the member, an inclined or beveled lug on said lever to enter the slot beside the other lug and force it to the end of the slot compelling it to engage and lock with the under face of the iron, and an eccentric pivoted to the iron and adapted to enter a notch or groove in the lever-lug and secure it against removal.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES P. SMITH.

Witnesses:

U. G. SKE, II. I. F. NIETERT. 

